Record US Farmers Switching to Non-GMO Crops in 2015

Continue to vote with your dollar

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This is the rising sentiment among farmers of the US as a confluence of factors urges them to become pro-organic. From falling GMO grain prices to a rising tide of public distrust of genetically modified ingredients, failing GMO traits, higher GMO seed prices, and the premium prices that people willingly pay for quality food over toxic junk, the conventional farmer is changing his tune when it comes to Big Ag practices.

Even if profit is the cornerstone on which this change is based, it is still telling. After all, experts project over $35 billion in sales for organic, non-GMO foods in 2015, and as GMO corn, soy and other GM grain prices rise, along with the costs to grow them (associated with more pesticide and herbicide use to control super weeds, for example) farmers are looking past the GMO propaganda which promised higher yields and more cash for farmers who grew their poison crops.

This phenomenon is explained clearly in “The Genetic Engineering of Food and the Failure of Science” (full text available for download here) published in The International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food.

Mac Ehrhardt, president of Minnesota-based Albert Lea Seed reports that he is selling more conventional (he describes conventional corn as non-GMO) corn seed by the end of November than he did all of last year. He says that farmers are turning to non-GMO to cut costs and to earn more money for their non-GMO yields.

Ehrhardt says:

“There is a continued increased demand for non-GMO.”

His observations are corroborated by Wayne Hoener, vice president of sales for eMerge, an Iowa-based seed company, as well as Tim Daley, an agronomist at Stonebridge, Ltd., an Iowa-based buyer of non-GMO soybeans who are also seeing a marked demand for non-GMO seed by farmers.

Daley says:

“Some companies have seen a 50 percent increase in sales of non GMO seed, and some have said they’ve sold more non-GMO seed this year than in the last five.”

Non-GMO Economics

Farmers find non-GMO seed appealing this year for several reasons, but mostly economics. Grain prices are low with corn selling at about $4 per bushel and soybeans aren’t goin g for much higher at around $10. Conversely, a premium is being shelled out for non-GMO corn and soybeans.

“(Non-GMO) seed costs less, and there are premiums for non-GMO corn and soybeans in some areas,” Daley says.

Failing GMO Crops

Other farmers are considering the switch because they are tired of super-weeds. One corn breeder who preferred to remain anonymous for a recent interview stated:

“The insect and herbicide traits are losing effectiveness with increased resistant rootworm and weed species. Growers are tired of paying for input costs that are reduced in efficacy and funding additional forms of crop protection.”

Iowa State University weed specialist Bob Hartzler seconds that sentiment in an interview with Iowa Farmer Today.

“You have people questioning the value of the Roundup gene. How many are doing it (making the switch) because of that concern, I don’t know.”

Non-GMO Outperform GMO Seeds

Non-GMO seeds are also producing more competitive yields.

“The yield performance of non-GMO hybrids is similar to or greater than traited (GMO) hybrids,” says the corn breeder.

Is this why mega company, General Mills, purchased organic food company Annie’s Homegrown for nearly $1 billion. And other large food corporations are looking to swallow up smaller organic food companies?

“There is continual and accelerating growth in organic,” he says. “There has been more conversion to organic by farmers recently than I’ve ever seen.”

Post written byChristina Sarich:Christina Sarich is a humanitarian and freelance writer helping you to Wake up Your Sleepy Little Head, and See the Big Picture. Her blog is Yoga for the New World. Her latest book is Pharma Sutra: Healing the Body And Mind Through the Art of Yoga.

102 responses to “Record US Farmers Switching to Non-GMO Crops in 2015”

I suggest we all stop replying to the paid shills or are they auto bots these days, hard to tell when the filthy technocrats never share technical advancements unless outdated and ripe for picking?

Either way we all know them or of them anyways so why even bother to respond, let´s ignore them they are on the loosing side and will be held accountable the day we take it all back anyway so let them have their time now they will go away for a long long time later on like the traitors and enemy soldiers they are.

Meanwhile, Paul Stamets, mushroom expert in Washington State, has the patent on a fungi that “by taking entomopathogenic Fungi (fungi that destroys insects) and morphs it into not producing spores, it in turn actually attracts the insects who then eat and turn into fungi from the inside out!” No need for Monsanto or any of the other Big Six and their toxic wares after all as it’s safe and controls 200,000 species of insects. Stamets also uses mushrooms for soil remediation and toxic spill cleanups. Be sure to watch the Ted Talks video, link listed in the article. http://www.loveclicks.org/food/paul-stamet-patent/

Ever wonder why China, Russia, and about 60 other countries require labeling of GMO, but America does not? Every wonder why the FDA has placed their stamp of approval on a product that causes tumors, cancer, and infertility in lab animals? Did ya know the to peoppe in the fda )fraud and death agency) came from monsatan? Ever question why GMO’s are allowed on the shelves when they have been known to lead to the development of tumors and cancer in humans? Every wonder why birthrates have been at a steady decline for the past 12 years?

The answer is simple, those seeking control have been implementing their devious schemes on the populace starting with mass sterilization and depopulation through GMOs.

While research continues to demonstrate consuming GMOs leads to the mutation of cells in the human body, our elite further the production of the product. The only answer, they want us dead!

Where are the bodies from eating GMO? Where are the mass sicknesses? It is almost 20 years now that the US has been eating GMO. Hospitals, clincis, etc. would not be able to handle the numbers. The are NO studies that show tumors and cancer in humans from GMO.

What’s the difference, most of it goes into junk food anyways. Way to go scientists to keep junk food cheap instead of focusing on healthier options and keep it cheaper. As the world economy gains more wealth, more meat is consumed. Biotech should focus on artificial meats, not corn and soy that go into junk food.

Folks be aware “GMO Roberts” is not a Troll or a Shill. It is a “Conversation Robot” (BOT) deployed by the GMO Big Agra and Big Pharma, Corporations. Don’t debate it, it will debate forever and sounds very LOGICAL but it cannot REASON. All it’s responses come from a programmed DATABASE (lies and all). It is a very expensive machine but they will pull it if you just ignore it. It is designed to debate and has an answer for all your comments (even this one). Remember Dave and HAL. It is not CUTE.

GMO / NON GMO situation comes down to this. People are feeling like total s.h ! t . We are the sickest generation on the face of the planet. We are over medicated and under nourished. Our food is filled with all sorts of toxins and chemicals. Even the dumbest box of rocks knows deep down this stuff is slowly killing them. Folks are tired and cannot function anymore on the food they are producing. It is as simple as that. People are sterile, fertility clinics are doing a booming business. Livestock farmers are in revolt as herds and such are unable to reproduce on the GMO garbage. Dr Don Huber a former Ag dept scientist covered this in an epic hours long interview with Dr Mercola. see it on youtube. Its all b.lsht.. Folks have had enough…Farmers have a big resposibility in the poisoning of Americans too ! Instead of worshiping the dollar they should put their health and their neighbors health ahead of their bank balances.

Hey hey hey…. Farmer’s have bills to pay just like everyone else. And they work their azzez off. Bigger problem: our government subsidizes GMO and mono crops, the whole system is stacked against the small farmer growing organic. We must change the system.

Farmers in 20 states are suing the hell out of Syngenta due to the refusal of China to import there corn. Because of that the price of corn dropped in half. We the people are making this an issue! Give yourselves an atta boy!! Now we need to put the pressure on that upside down Farm Bill!! Subsidizing poisoned food, and paying out the ying yang for healthy food is retarded.
Now that fields all over the nation have mutated bugs and weeds, farmers will still get nailed for the extra pesticides, and herbicides to kill them. But at least you can wash it off the food.
To bad about Annies. I liked there stuff. Now that General Mills has it, I guess they can go to hell! I’m lovin it!! The mega house of cards is starting to collapse!

Do you really think that’s why the price of corn dropped? I suppose it has nothing to do with the fact that American farmers have had two record corn crops in a row and there is corn everywhere. No that couldn’t be it. You make such a good economist. You probably think Obama is doing a great job cutting the deficit don’t you.

China gets 20% of the US corn harvest. Gee I figured you for the Obot! Just so ewe know, I voted for Johnson and always go for a 3rd party. The R’s & D’s are two heads of the same beast.
So how much do you make trolling around??

The U.S. according to the government website only exports twenty percent of the corn crop. So you want us to believe China is our only customer? Why lie when facts are so easy to confirm? China isn’t even in the top ten countries. I don’t get paid to correct morons like you.

Your Hero!
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” The_Craven
Joseph Goebbels quotes

there is no doubt most people commenting on here know you are the real nazi at heart.

For most of Thierry Vrain’s career, he supported the cultivation and
consumption of GM crops, but in the last 10 years he has changed his
position because of the flow of published studies coming from Europe,
some from prestigious labs and published in prestigious scientific
journals, that questioned the impact and safety of engineered food.

He
refutes the claims of the biotechnology companies that their engineered
crops yield more, that they require less pesticide applications, that
they have no impact on the environment and of course that they are safe
to eat.

try connecting the dots…..the head and other high ranking people in the FDA came from Mon Satan that is fact. gmo’s are proven to give tumors, make you sterile and die sooner and that is a fact.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDlmlXiuuDU

Your BT toxin took my mom, one of my best friends, and now I have an aunt & uncle on there last leg. I’ll spare you the graphics because they wouldn’t print it.
You have a family? Remember what Deagles predicts. You can fight the future or contribute to your own demise. What will it be?
If you want any credibility to the sprague dawley rat question. Then stop using them yourselves and use Mongolian Gerbils!

Eating a Bt crop took your mom? Cockpoppy. If that were true the regulators would be all over it. Get your aunt and uncle to the proper authorities, they want to know of the first deaths from a GE crop.

You claim that “China gets 20% of the US corn harvest.” The US only exports a total of 20% of the corn harvest (according to the USDA website see this is a reference — you get them by researching your facts just not pulling them out of thin air). Therefore the only way your statement could be correct is if China was our only corn customer, which if you look at the website you will find that they aren’t even in the top ten.

Now if you wish to have an economics lesson then so be it. The price of corn has currently dropped for two reasons. Record yields the last two years have led to record supplies and demand has leveled off mainly because ethanol has quit expanding.

Lol, I actually see gmos in the real world daily, with none of your horror stories ever coming true. You on the other hand I’m sure watch tv and scan the newspapers for hidden messages to decode with your lucky charms decoder ring.

yes non gmo heirloom organic is much more nutritious and healthy hands down. now if you want cancer, stomach problems, infertility, health problems in general than gmo’s are the way to go. oh roberta this will give ya a smile gmo’s are made with ecoli. I can’t thank you enough for helping out with the agenda 21 depopulation agenda.

He’s conspicuously on the comments in every single honest GMO article online. ANY story that posts any negative data or sentiment about GMO crops – he likely to be in the Discus on the bottom posting misdirection, misinformation out outright lies.

I keep seeing him over and over again. He is somewhere behind a laptop and gets a paycheck from some entity to do this. FYI

Keep on it. GMO shills and trolls have been polluting the Internet for years. No doubt, many of us would like to see a tough journalist (or many journalists) do some tough investigation on how GMO PR firms and GMO shills operate.

Russia and China have banned the import of GE foods. In fact, US farmers have lost more than $427 million in sales after China rejected the imports of US corn. Russia has also imposed a ban on GE products saying that its nation has enough space and resources to produce organic and sustainable foods.

“Moscow has no reason to encourage the production of genetically modified products or import them into the country”, said the country’s Prime Minister Medvedev. “If the Americans like to eat GMO products, let them eat it then. We don’t need to do that; we have enough space and opportunities to produce organic foods.” In April of 2014, the National Grain & Feed Association estimated that U.S. farmers had lost more than $1 billion due to trade disruptions linked to the rejections. Nick Kessler, site manager at Monsanto’s Waterman Research Facility, said 2014 was a record year for corn across the country.

“This past year there were the most bushels per acre produced in the history of farming, as far as I know,” he said. “2012 was a bad year, but 2013 and especially 2014 had really good production.”

The party’s over, though. This year won’t be a banner year for corn, as corn will be more expensive than soybeans for farmers to produce. Moreover, net income for farmers is expected to fall by almost 32 percent this year as corn and soybean prices remain low and expenses creep higher, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report recently released.

Farmers who own land with a low cost of production likely will still make a profit, while those who rent land at higher prices will struggle.(is this part of the plan, to rid independent farmers from the land? agenda 21)

Those with high costs probably will try to cut household expenses, avoid making any large equipment purchases and try to cut costs for fertilizer and other inputs.

About 80 percent of Illinois cropland is not owned by the people who farm it, said Scott Newport, a farm business specialist in DeKalb for Illinois Valley FBFM.

If estimates from the U.S. Agriculture Department hold true, farmers in the United States would see income fall for a second year in a row. At Monsanto, leaders are planning to produce less corn seed this year, Kessler said. Many farmers probably have leftover corn seed from last season, so they won’t need to buy as much, he said.

“The acres used for corn will go down, and we’ll use more of those acres for soybeans,” he said. “Farmers will plant more soybeans this year.”

Crop receipts are expected to fall nearly 8 percent, driven by a dramatic fall in grain prices. Corn, for example, was at a record high, exceeding $8 a bushel in the summer of 2012, but is trading under $4 now. Soybeans saw a similar decline.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently announced that Russia will no longer import GMO products, stating that the nation has enough space, and enough resources to produce organic food.

If the Americans like to eat GMO products, let them eat it then. We don’t need to do that; we have enough space and opportunities to produce organic food.” –Medvedev. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently announced that Russia will no longer import GMO products, stating that the nation has enough space, and enough resources to produce organic food.

If the Americans like to eat GMO products, let them eat it then. We don’t need to do that; we have enough space and opportunities to produce organic food.” –Medvedev

China does use GMO bt cotton, papaya, and soybeans.
Hey! how much money are you getting for invasive practices? Is it worth it? I mean losing your soul for money? Take a tip, ignore the guidelines they feed you on how to disrupt intelligent discourse. Awakening people smell aggression a mile off as being what it is…a paid troll.

hey Duke, when the results of evil, which is rapidly taking over our world, comes to fruition, you can pat yourself on the back in helping the finished result. I have no desire to get into an ego contest with a person who has robotic consciousness, and is more than likely a paid shill. And by the way, I did not retract my “claims”. You seem to find joy in the dominance of Monsanto, destroyer of small independent farmers, controller of seeds, polluter of nature, and aggressor of humanity.

The price of corn dropped due to (1) record corn crops but more importantly (2) a decline in the use of ethanol as a fuel additive. When corn went to $8.50 a bushel, many ethanol plants closed their doors and have not reopened. Too much supply and not enough a demand.

The use of ethanol has stayed constant at 10%. True gas usage is lower which in turn leads to lower ethanol. Many plants did shut down, but they were mostly the older inefficient ones like New Energy in South Bend, IN, which was one of the oldest in the country. I believe it was started in the 70’s.

Bunge closed their plant in Vicksburg due to the high cost of corn. I got that from the plant manager. That being said, I do agree that lower overall gas consumption plays a major role in the price of corn as well.

It is not true that the pesticides can all be washed off. Some is taken up into the plant as in the case of desiccants on wheat, rice and barly. Some fruits such as strawberries absorb pesticides through the skin.

Gmo corn and soy will still be at 90+% for both corn and soy this year, rest assured. More important do you not understand what farmers put on the non gmo acres? Just because it’s non gmo doesn’t mean it is organic. These farmers will use a much deadlier chemicals than roundup. As for yield, it speaks for itself. There is a reason why prices have been cut almost by fifty percent, because of record yields the last couple of years. Could the non gmo seeds have produced the same or better yields? Maybe, but one thing is for sure, gmos did produce them. As for costs, the savings are minimal and what you do save on seed you usually give back on higher priced chemicals. The biggest cost to farmers are land cost and fertilizer, both have nothing to do with which seed you plant.

Hey GMO Douche, why is it that everytime I read an article on this site, your comments are always there???… all day long. If you really were a farmer, I find it hard to believe that you’d have time to troll message boards all day.

LOL, every article? Not even close. Most of the gmo articles and an occasional vaccine article. Next, I never once claimed to be a farmer, if I was though I would have plenty of time to do that right now. Instead during this time of the year I have plenty of office work to do, it not that hard to leave a window running in the background, and since I also get to spend a large amount of time on the phone everyday, it takes just a few seconds to multitask and check to see if anyone has responded yet. I realize all this is hard for you to believe since you incorrectly placed me as a farmer and would take you all day to do a few simple comments. It must be the organics clogging your brain.

That is absurd. I find those who pull the “science card” to shut down legitimate dissent and argument, to be in truth, the most insecure of all. Science is nothing more than the scientific method. Science controlled and manipulated by big money, and those who thirst for power, is evil.
We are told that nuclear energy is good too, and look at Fukushima, 400 tons of radiation flowing into the Pacific everyday, and no end in sight. Google: Corruption in Science, and while you are at it, Google: Scholarly articles for GMO damage.

Sorry, but you are the insecure one scared of your own shadow. Sad that you can’t accept what is in front of you, but if they print it on some strange website with zero credentials then it must be true. LOL you are funny.